The memes roll in and the memes roll out. This week's Facebook meme is a variation of the perception-versus-reality gag, with people in different careers making simple collages that present pictorial examples of what various people "think" they dotheir parents, their friends, society at largebefore delivering the punch line of what it is they "really" do.

So far, most of the ones we've come across concern artsy professions like photographer, director, writer, etc. basically, folks with access to simple photo-editing tools and lots of time on their hands. Amazingly, no one has thought to make the payoff image for any of those callings a picture of a barista (this would also work for musicians, actors, poets, and philosophers).

It also pains us to note that "journalist" has not one but two entries so far, both of which hit a little too close to home (see accompanying slide show). Maybe making "What-I-Really-Do" lists is, in fact, what we really do here in the Fourth Estate.

But if this meme has started out with a narrow focus, here's hoping it's got the legs to start deconstructing some other professions. What do CEOs really do as opposed to what we think they do? How about politicians, software developers, sales people, and athletes? Could you even conduct this exercise with reality TV stars given that most of us already perceive them as a big joke?

Take a look at the sampling of "What-I-Really-Do's" in our slideshow and if you've got one of your own, let us know in comments!

About the Author

Damon Poeter got his start in journalism working for the English-language daily newspaper The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand. He covered everything from local news to sports and entertainment before settling on technology in the mid-2000s. Prior to joining PCMag, Damon worked at CRN and the Gilroy Dispatch. He has also written for the San Francisco Ch... See Full Bio

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